


Let your Light Shine [Nishikage Seiya x Reader]

by S_rank_criminal



Category: Inazuma Eleven, Inazuma Eleven: Ares no Tenbin, Inazuma Eleven: Orion no Kokuin
Genre: F/M, Reader-Insert, Slice of Life, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, descriptive
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-02
Updated: 2019-09-04
Packaged: 2020-10-05 12:24:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20488856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/S_rank_criminal/pseuds/S_rank_criminal
Summary: You have been scouted by Zhao Jinyun to help Inazuma Japan with their English, and during your stay Nishikage has caught your attention and your interest.





	1. I

"Welcome to Tokyo, and thank you for choosing our airline, we hope you have a nice day."

Right after the announcement, the seatbelt lights switched off and almost all of the passengers got up from their seats to take their luggage. When the guy who was sitting next to [Name] also got up, the girl stretched the muscles of her back and let out a deep sigh of relief. The landing had also gone well, despite some mild turbulence during the flight. One thing never changes: it didn't matter how many times she took the plane, but every time there was heavy turbulence [Name] would start to become pretty paranoid and this prevents her from relaxing and enjoying the flight, although usually this uneasiness would completely dissolve once the plane has landed.

Due to the congestion in the corridor, [Name] couldn't reach her baggage, so she had to wait for the people to get off the vehicle in order to stand up. Fortunately a man in his forties had seen her troubled expression on her face and let her pass before him. Otherwise God knows how long she would have waited!

Not that she was in a particular hurry, seeing that actually the aircraft had taken off with an hour of delay already, and although the pilots had tried to make up for it, the plane had still landed with roughly half an hour of delay. She only hoped that Inazuma Japan's manager wouldn't get too impatient.

And indeed Natsumi Raimon, the manager who had come to pick her up, welcomed her in a friendly way and this has calmed [Name]'s mood significantly.

Natsumi was a really beautiful girl. The golden highlights of her wavy, brown hair under the sunlight had been engraved in [Name]'s mind. She also had an elegant and sophisticated clothing style, with her long, striped, high-waisted skirt. Whenever there was wind, not only her hair, but her skirt would also follow the direction of the breeze: it was impossible not to feel enraptured by it.

They haven't spoken much in the car. They had exchanged a few words, properly introduced themselves but not much else. Natsumi had described the players of Inazuma Japan and their conditions a bit, in an ever so blunt and precise way. [Name] had obviously done her research on the team before, but without seeing them in the flesh it was difficult to associate a person with their name correctly. She didn't mind Natsumi's briefness, since [Name] knew very little Japanese, and furthermore Natsumi's English wasn't bad at all.  
Indeed, because [Name] had been chosen by coach Zhao Jinyun to help the boys of Inazuma Japan with their English, because the coach thought it was necessary for them to respond well in interviews with foreign journalists, and it was useful in case they won the Asian preliminaries, since the semifinals will be held abroad.

After a relatively long car ride, finally the girls arrived at the sports centre where Inazuma Japan trained. The first thing that [Name] noticed, was the breathtaking scenery which expanded before her eyes: mount Fuji raised on top of a sparkling lake; the sky was ample and blue with a few clouds which adorned it; rows of trees surrounded her protectively. The air was fresh and pure, unlike what was outside the airport.

The second thing which impressed her, were the boys themselves.

[Name] hadn't nearly expected to be welcomed in that way, with all of Japan's players on top of those stairs of white marble which would've taken her to the various facilities of the centre. The afternoon sun, tending to an orange-reddish colour, wrapped up that scene: it was another image that the girl wouldn't forget.

[Name] could tell that everyone was informed of her arrival, and she could catch a trace of enthusiasm and interest on the faces of some of them. [Name] had to admit she felt slightly embarrassed under a few curious and inquisitive gazes, but she felt pleasantly surprised when, at the bottom of the stairs, several boys had offered to help her carry her two hand luggages.

"Hey there, I'm Endou Mamoru, captain of Inazuma Japan, nice to meet you!" Japan's unmistakeable goalkeeper introduced himself with his strongly accented English while he placed a hand on his nape with a toothy smile. [Name] beamed, amused, thinking that maybe he had memorised that sentence. However she had to admire him for the fact that he still tried.

"It's my pleasure! I'm [Name], your English assistant. But for simplicity you can just call me [Nickname], formalities make me uncomfortable." the girl answered without letting her smile disappear.

In the meantime other three boys, who had introduced themselves one by one, approached her to lift her luggages, two boys for each one. The first one was Goujin, a boy with a small and upturned nose, with an enthusiasm comparable of that of Endou's; the second one was called Golem, a boy with a burly and robust build as well as sweet and gentle eyes; lastly Nishikage, much more reserved but not less polite than the other three, with sharp eyes and very muscular arms.

Once they arrived on top of the stairs, everyone else welcomed her with bows, handshakes or nods, until the coach himself also arrived to greet her and invited everyone to the meeting room, where [Name] could introduce herself officially in front of all the members.

The room was spacious and welcoming. [Name] felt a bit nervous to stay on the stage in front of everyone who observed her still with a certain distance. She gulped, glancing at the coach who nodded at her encouragingly.

"Hello everyone! Like I've already told someone, I'm your English assistant and you can call me [Nickname]. I come from [Country], as your coach has probably informed you." she paused for a little while. "You don't have to worry because I won't be doing lectures or anything of the sort, instead I'm here to communicate and to talk to each of you, not only in groups but also individually. During my stay here I will also carry out the same jobs of your managers. You can talk to me about anything, just like to a friend, and in the meantime I'll do my best to learn Japanese!"

After the speech [Name] noticed that the majority of the boys still looked at her with a perplexed expression, others were more amazed than anything.

"I might have gone too fast..." [Name] whispered to herself, making an embarrassed face, not knowing how to proceed.

The coach let out his iconic laugh, attracting all of the audience's attention, before roughly translating [Name]'s speech in Japanese. At the end, the boys turned around to [Name] again while gasping in awe. Some of them mustered up courage to ask her a few questions about her travels and her knowledge on football, which wasn't bad for a girl. She noticed that Goujin would look at her with an enchanted gaze, receiving a nudge from his neighbour, a boy with a hat. Nishikage also seemed interested, but in a much more discreet and hidden way, and beside him, a boy with magenta hair would secretly give him amused and ambiguous glances from time to time.

"Don't worry [Nickname], we'll repay you by helping you learn authentic Japanese!" said a boy with short, red, spiky hair, smiling and batting his big and ingenuous eyes.

** XXX **

After having taken out her belongings out of her baggages and having had a refreshing shower, [Name] was in the canteen with the other managers and chef Yone to prepare dinner for the boys, who meanwhile were training at the pitch for the imminent match against China.

[Name] had a bit of difficulty communicating efficiently with the managers and the chef. The only one who knew decent English was Natsumi, but with the others -Ootani and Anna- it took a lot of patience and empathy, qualities which [Name] didn't lack nevertheless. In compensation, though, the girl was starting to become acquainted with the Japanese language and she had already learnt some useful expressions for daily life.

The house rule was that for dinner buffet would be served, as a prize for the boys after their intense training sessions. For this reason the girls had prepared bowls full of food, from meat to vegetables and from soups to fruit, there was something for every taste. It was tiring, but also satisfying, seeing the boys eat the food prepared with their own hands with relish.

Usually the managers would eat on a separate table, while on another one there were the two coaches and the assistant Li Kobun, and lastly on the table in the centre there were all the players. [Name] was ordered to sit together with them, so that she could not only get used to Japanese, but also communicate with them in English. After the initial awkward silence, a boy, who [Name] later knew was called Asuto, had the idea that everyone should introduce themselves and say some basic information about themselves. At this idea some members let out exasperated sighs, but everyone still participated in the project nonetheless. Fortunately for [Name], after the presentations the ice broke and the conversations became much more natural and spontaneous.

"Look at them having so much fun!" Ootani commented to the other girls, relieved, "I was scared [Name] would feel uncomfortable and that she would have a hard time communicating with the boys, but it seems that this fear of mine is unfounded." Natsumi nodded at this, smiling softly.

"...And Haizaki may seem super threatening, but actually deep down he's just a cuddly boy who loves teddy bears..." Fudou said, crossing his arms behind his nape with a smirk.

"Hey, that's not true." the grey-haired boy replied, giving Fudou a gaze sharper than any knife.

Kira snickered. "Well, after all he's the _Demon of the Field _... Or at least that's how the Anglophone journalists call him." At that English nickname the boy winked at [Name], flaunting his accent which the girl had to admit was more than passable.

"Can y'all stop fucking with me every goddamn time?! Especially you, curly-headed dumbass-"

"Hey, watch it. You wouldn't want [Nickname] to learn all the Japanese profanities which could potentially get back at you..." Nosaka interrupted him, more amused than annoyed actually.

But before Haizaki could reply, [Name] articulated a badly pronounced "dumbass" which made everyone laugh, with Mansaku accidentally spitting out the water that he was drinking straight onto poor Saginuma's face. The boy had been silent the whole time, and this fuelled the boys' hilarity even more.

After heading back to her room, [Name] threw herself onto the bed and began reflecting about the day. When her thoughts wandered around the dinner, she couldn't help but let out a small grin. It had been fun but mostly useful to know what was each player's level of English. Even though for the most part they talked to each other in Japanese, some of them still made an effort to communicate with her. Ichihoshi seemed to be the best at English, but that was understandable since he had lived a couple years abroad; Nosaka and Kira spoke pretty fairly, and Fudou wasn't bad either, although there was still some work to do with their pronunciations; Kazemaru, Hiroto and Hiura were decent, but everyone else was a disaster. However not everyone had spoken that night, like Nishikage and Saginuma, who just focused on eating after the presentations.

[Name] asked herself if they behaved like that during every meal, but she then decided that it was useless to think about it since she would discover it for herself in the following days, but most of all she felt exhausted after a long day of relocations and introductions. She switched off the lamp which emanated yellowish light and laid down, falling asleep almost immediately.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello reader, thank you for giving this story a try!  
It's been a long while since I last wrote fanfiction, but after watching Orion no Kokuin suddenly inspiration struck me and I really wanted to write something about Nishikage, my absolute favourite of the series. Originally I wrote this ff just for myself, but then I thought: why not make this a Nishikage x Reader instead so that all of the Nishikage fangirls could enjoy themselves? So here I am.   
Also there's a serious lack of Nishikage fanfics, and that is NOT ok. I think we all agree on that haha  
Since English isn't my mother language, I would highly appreciate corrections regarding grammar mistakes or typos so that I can improve not only my skills but also the reader's experience. Of course comments in general are also welcome, don't be afraid to tell me your thoughts, I don't bite! ('ω｀★)  
The updates will not follow a particular schedule since I'm still writing the story as I'm publishing it, so I apologise for that... (⌣_⌣")  
Thank you again for reading and I hope to hear from you!


	2. II

In the following days, [Name] bothered to interact more with Saginuma and Nishikage to have a clearer idea of their levels of English, since during the first dinner they had only opened their mouths to satisfy their appetite.

The girl managed to know that the raven-haired goalkeeper would avoid her gaze because he was ashamed of his English, and although she hated admitting it, [Name] considered Saginuma to belong in the "disasters"category. Often, though, the avoidance of gazes was also accompanied by a significant redness on the face...

"Is everything all right, Saginuma? Are you sure you don't have a fever?" [Name] asked him once, but when she was about to check the temperature of his forehead, the boy suddenly backed away, blabbering a quick "yes, I'm fine thanks" before running towards the metal basket in the middle of the pitch to take a ball, leaving the girl perplexed.

As for the other goalkeeper, his silence derived from different motives.

Most of the time, in fact, [Name] found herself observing him from afar, not only because it was difficult to catch him alone -he was almost always in the company of Nosaka-, but also because, from his interactions with the other members, it seemed that Nishikage was really a boy of few words and that he preferred expressing himself more through his actions than through verbal language. In fact none of his gestures was useless. He could save his energies impressively, even on the football pitch.

As time passed by, [Name] realised that Nishikage became more and more interesting and fascinating not only personality-wise, but he also appeared extremely handsome and charming. It was almost like a sudden revelation, an epiphany. However it wasn't easy to approach him and interact with him, so [Name] imagined that she had to gain his sympathy and his trust. For once she didn't want to talk to the members as a manager or as an assistant, but as a friend.

She had found the perfect opportunity after one of their intensive trainings, when it was Nishikage's turn to put back all of the footballs in the basket. Everyone else instead were assigned by the coach to go grocery shopping in the city or to throw away the differentiated waste. The sunset gave a golden-reddish shade to the pitch and to the hair of the silent goalkeeper, who was intent on picking up footballs. They were the only two people there, but Nishikage didn't notice [Name]'s presence, at least not until the girl silently offered to help him.

The metallic sound of the ball bouncing in the basket woke Nishikage from his temporary trance, and he turned to the girl, surprised not only by her presence but also by her gesture.

"You..." he began, and [Name] smiled. That smile had taken the goalkeeper's breath away, and for a moment he had forgotten what he had to say.

"..._Thank you_..." he said at last, lowering his head to pick up another football.

"It's nothing, Nishikage!" the girl responded, continuing to fill the basket as well.

_His accent... was perfect_, she thought.

For the next thirty minutes, nobody talked, also because [Name] really didn't know how to address him without appearing too persistent and annoying. Finally, when they had finished their duty and were heading towards the dormitories, the girl decided that it was time to break the ice.

"Nishikage... Can I ask you something?" [Name] asked, a bit intimidated by the other one's silence. But seeing that the boy gave her a nod, the girl had the courage to continue: "Where did you learn English?"

Nishikage thought about it for a while before answering. Maybe he was evaluating the words he would use, and was choosing the right ones. He wouldn't even waste his breath.

"My father travels abroad very frequently because of his job, and his English is close to that of a native speaker." he paused. "But in the rare occasions when he comes back, he usually communicates with me in English, saying how it's important to know this language in our era... I think I have acquired his accent more than anything else."

[Name] looked at him in the eyes, inviting him to continue.

"I've learnt the grammar at Outei Tsukinomiya together with Nosaka, although in this field I'm not as good as him." and he fell silent, stopping in front of the stairs. He was surprised with himself for how much he had talked about something so personal, about something that maybe not even Nosaka knew.

"Learning a language isn't a competition, you know?" [Name] said all of a sudden, stopping in her tracks as well.

Nishikage stared at her, as if he hadn't heard her. The girl thought that she said something wrong, or maybe he felt offended for being told something seemingly so obvious.

"I mean... one learns a language for themselves, no? And I genuinely think that you have great potentiality. You shouldn't be afraid to talk more, because..." she lowered her voice, not knowing how Nishikage would react, "...you'd improve immensely, I'm sure of it."

Nishikage stared at her straight in the eyes, as if he wanted to dig the truth out of the girl's soul, while she forced herself to not avoid his piercing gaze. The boy smiled subtly -it was almost undetectable- and entered the facility.

"...I'll do my best."

**XXX**

And he did try to talk more, even if progressively.

Just like that time when it was Nishikage's turn to draw from the "Mysterious lottery box n°3" and he got a note saying that he had to go to the Fuji forest and find the Kappa's waterfall. His mission was simply to meditate and to reflect about his own abilities. Everyone envied him for the apparent simplicity of the training.

"If only it was for me..." Mansaku had sighed, fixing his baseball cap.

The coach had asked Saginuma and [Name] to accompany him, since the Fuji forest could be dangerous and insidious even during the day. Plus[Name] was the only manager with some free time at the moment. But in the morning of the departure Saginuma had suddenly felt sick, so he was exempted from the journey. When [Name] took the map, she didn't know what to expect from this sort of "treasure hunt" only with Nishikage. On the one hand she was happy because she was able to talk to the fascinating goalkeeper privately, but on the other she didn't know what the boy thought of her instead.

"Are you sure this map is reliable?" Nishikage asked her sceptically, analysing the map between his hands, after they had already ventured into the woods.

"Well... the coach gave it to me, so I... think so?" the girl answered, uncertain, smiling nervously. "Ok... maybe not." she only hoped they could go back to the training centre before it got dark, or else... A shiver ran through her spine, she didn't dare imagine what could happen in the forest at night. Before leaving Ootani had wished her good luck and warned her to stay alert.

"There are a lot of urban legends about the Fuji forest at night..." the light brown-haired girl had said, "I didn't want to scare you, but I thought it was only right that you knew certain things before you went there."

[Name] couldn't enjoy her trip, also because the sun was already setting and the two only seemed to be walking in circles. The map that coach Zhao gave her was clearly wrong. Nishikage could only agree.

"I think we're lost... also because I feel like we've already seen this mushroom-shaped rock." [Name] commented, letting out a desperate sigh. But Nishikage wasn't listening.

"Nishikage...?"

"Shhh... listen." the boy brought his index finger to his lips and slightly lowered his body in a defensive position. [Name] hushed immediately and looked at him as if she was waiting for a signal. Indeed the girl could hear a light growl coming from a nearby bush. Nishikage, after ascertaining that [Name] had also heard the noise, approached her very slowly and grabbed her forearm before backing away just as slowly.

[Name] started sweating. Maybe the owner of that snarl was nothing else but the super dangerous mystical creature which Ootani told her about, and that satanic beast was out there to kill them both...

The girl slightly turned to Nishikage, who put on an even more serious and cold expression than usual with his furrowed brows. His grey eyes were fixed on the source of the growl, like if he was ready to react at any moment. [Name] had to admit she felt a bit calmer with the tall and muscular goalkeeper by her side. His large, veined hand grasped her forearm tightly, almost blocking the blood flow. The two continued to move back, until the girl's sole stepped on a dry twig. Due to the situation, the sound of the split branch was almost deafening. [Name] suddenly stiffened, hearing that the growl became even more aggressive. As if it was possible, Nishikage's grip tightened even more, until the creature, which revealed to be a grey, half-blind wolf, jumped out of the bush before dashing towards [Name] snarling.

Just when [Name] believed she would die, Nishikage loosened the grip and stood in front of her, releasing magenta light.

"_Ouke no Tate_!"

Nishikage's royal shield protected them, and the wolf, not being able to break through, gave up and fled. The goalkeeper was worn out when he made the shield disappear. He used an enormous quantity of energy to be able to make it last so long.

"Thanks, Nishikage... Really, I don't know how to repay you." [Name] whispered, lowering her head. "It's all my fault if I angered the wolf..." But Nishikage shook his head.

"We have to get away from here and find a shelter where we can spend the night." he just said, holding her by the same spot of her forearm.

**XXX**

The night fell officially, covering the sky with a dark blue veil, so dense that it seemed to have the same consistency of a fountain pen's ink, or of the sea at night. Since there wasn't any other source of light, the stars shone brighter than ever. One could perfectly distinguish the Milky Way, and the moon dominated the vault of heaven.

The two had found a small sort of cavern where they could take refuge, and now both of them observed this sight. In this moment they were close but still so distant...

"...Do you think we can still find the waterfall?" [Name] decided to interrupt the silence, trying to distract herself from the thought that the half-blind wolf could still find them. It had become so dark already that the girl couldn't even discern Nishikage's face, even though he was only at a meter's distance. Everything that surrounded them was composed of different shades of grey thanks to the starlight, just like the colour of Nishikage's eyes, which changed tones depending on the brightness of the environment.

Despite [Name] couldn't see him, she sensed that Nishikage's head turned subtly towards her, and he was probably trying to identify her outlines.

"I don't know." he murmured, getting back to observe the sky again. "I just know that I can't return to the camp without having found it, I don't think the coach would appreciate it. Plus, if there's one thing that Endou taught me... is to never give up." [Name] smiled thinking about the forever overly optimistic captain, with his noticeable orange bandana.

"But... as much as I feel determined, I don't want to put you in danger. You weren't forced to follow my mission, yet you almost had to fight a wolf. I know that you are still scared and anxious." [Name] was surprised by the last part. She had tried to hide her fear as much as possible, yet Nishikage still understood her as if it was written on her face.

"But you protected me." the girl stated.

Nishikage tensed up. _Like how Nosaka did with that little girl?_ he thought. He shook his head, as if he wanted to banish certain memories. 

"It was the right thing to do." he said at last.

"I owe you my life." [Name] said. "If you ever need anything... just know that I'm here."

"I don't expect to receive anything in return," Nishikage stated. "But I appreciate it, thanks."

They stayed at the entrance of the cave, each one immersed in their own thoughts, until the humidity and the cold -even though it was summer- became intolerable. Nishikage stood up and suggested [Name] to rest, since the next day wouldn't be easy, and they both knew it.

"Don't worry about the wolf, I'll keep watch. I won't be able to fall asleep tonight anyway." the goalkeeper added.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"...Thanks." [Name] murmured, and entered the rocky refuge, which was deep enough to contain at least five people. The fire in the middle had extinguished for a while now, and the smell of cinder and roasted corn carried the girl in the realm of dreams.

The last image [Name] saw was Nishikage, seated again, who continued to watch the stars, soaked in the moonlight. At that moment the boy seemed to be of an ethereal beauty, almost spiritual, of a beauty that still had to be unveiled and which came from something profound.


	3. III

[Name] remembered that she woke up in the dead of night. It must have been two or three o'clock but she wasn't even sure, because outside it was still as dark as when she first fell asleep. She felt so dazed that she didn't even bother checking her phone, but perhaps it didn't matter in the end. The rocky surface couldn't be remotely compared with her bed in the dormitory, but she hadn't felt cold regardless.

Because she found herself being covered in Nishikage's jersey as a blanket, with his faint smell of cinnamon and dry oak.

The girl was touched by his gesture, because despite his appearance she knew that Nishikage was a gentle and thoughtful boy deep down.

She tip-toed to him to return his jacket, but when she arrived at the entrance of the cave, aside from the distant sound of cicadas she could also hear the deep and regular breathing of the boy. He was still seated, with his arms crossed over his chest and his head leaning on the rocky wall behind him. When she got used to the dark, [Name] could even discern Nishikage's gently shut eyes and the peaceful expression on his face.

There were no more doubts: he had fallen asleep.

_'I won't be able to fall asleep tonight anyway', huh? _ the girl thought to herself, amused. An almost maternal smile escaped her lips as she cautiously tried to cover him with his own jersey from his neck down. During the process Nishikage had winced once, but fortunately he didn't wake up, or at least she hoped he didn't.

[Name] couldn't take her eyes off his profile. At that moment Nishikage seemed to be more beautiful than any other star in the sky, more than any hue of the celestial sphere. For an instant she feared her very own feelings, she had the impression that it was wrong. She was a manager of Inazuma Japan, an English assistant, she couldn't afford to have preferences for a certain member of the team, it wouldn't have been fair for the others. But Nishikage attracted her like a magnet, and [Name] had always been a sentimental girl. The conflict between rationality and sensibility suffocated her, or maybe that was just a side effect of the late night.

Now it was her turn to keep watch, she would've protected him this time. She stayed up all night and witnessed the sunrise.

**XXX**

Nishikage woke up early in the morning covered by his jersey, which had a mix of both his scent and [Name]'s, who was on the other end of the cave's entrance, staring at something undefined in front of her. Who knew how much she had slept and what she was thinking about. But he decided not to ask additional questions, it was time to leave.

Oddly enough, when they returned to the main path, it was like the surrounding area had changed, and all the various forks matched the ones on the coach's map. In the end they reached the waterfall with ease, much to their surprise and confusion.

[Name] had expected to find herself in front of something majestic, but instead all she saw was an ordinary waterfall of questionable size. And furthermore they haven't met any “Kappas”, even though that wasn't part of Nishikage's training.

“Kappas don't exist.” was all the goalkeeper said.

After Nishikage had meditated under the waterfall, the two headed back to the training centre, with several players who ran to them, a bit worried but also with anticipation in their eyes.

“So, have you found the waterfall?” Ootani asked her, taking [Name] by the arm and separating her from Nishikage, who meanwhile was surrounded by other boys.

“Well, yeah, you see... it wasn't like how I expected it...” [Name] replied, and she tried her best to describe the Kappa waterfall, with Ootani who adopted a visibly disheartened expression.

“So none of those myths were true, huh...” she said to herself, but then she assumed a more mischievous look, whispering: “And how did things go with Nishikage instead?”

“W-What are you implying?!” [Name] went on the defensive.

“Oh, nothing! It's just that he rarely talks to other people except for Nosaka, although it's like there's some sort of chemistry between the two of you, I don't know how to explain it...” Ootani turned her head to look at the group of boys, and [Name] did the same. Then she shook her head, sighing. “What can I do, that boy is just too mysterious.”

_But he's so interesting for that exact reason..._, [Name] thought, observing how Nishikage tried to answer all of the other boy's questions before going to the other side of the pitch to greet Nosaka, who was eyeing her pensively. [Name] avoided his gaze, then glanced at him from the corner of the eye, but Nosaka was already talking to Ichihoshi, probably discussing about the tactics to use in the next match.

When Nishikage got there, he saw Saginuma as healthy as a horse, warming up for the morning training session. The raven-headed boy flinched when he saw Nishikage stopping in front of him.

“You...” Nishikage started, but Saginuma preceded him.

“Listen to me my friend, don't take it personally but I really felt ill yesterday, I-”

Nishikage raised an eyebrow dubiously. Saginuma sighed exasperatingly, laying his gloved hands on the other goalkeeper's shoulders.

“Listen, don't tell [Name], but the truth is that my English really sucks, I just can't face her like this, I feel like I'm a nobody compared to her...” the fake alien confessed with a touching voice, “You have to help me with my English, buddy! Nosaka and Ichihoshi never have time for these trivial things, so you're the only one who can do it... I'm begging you, Nishikage!” Saginuma would've even got on his knees at that moment, but Nishikage simply shook his head.

“The only way for you to learn English properly is to talk to her.” he said resolutely, “You don't have to feel scared, she's a very nice and comprehensible girl, she would never mock you because of how you speak it.”

Saginuma lowered his head miserably before raising it again, this time with glimmering eyes and a determined gaze.

“If you say so, my good Nishikage, then I'll blindly trust you. Now let's start training!” and he ran towards the goal, ready to stop the forwards' shoots.

Nishikage stayed there, thinking about how last night, in the forest, [Name]'s fingers had delicately brushed against his shoulders to cover him with his own jacket. He had thought that it was merely a dream, that that hazy feeling wasn't real, yet he woke up with the jersey which smelled like her. Shockingly for him, that feeling kept lingering in his head even when he was meditating under the waterfall.

For the first time he felt butterflies in his stomach.

**XXX**

During the training sessions [Name] had to stay on the bench with Ootani and Anna so that they could aid the players in case of necessity. Not that she really minded it, since it was pleasant to see how the boys evolved on the field, experimenting with new techniques and continuously strengthening their teamwork. Even the occasional bickering could be fun to watch.

Natsumi instead had left the country to gather information on the various teams of the world. The other managers went to the airport together to say their goodbyes, and she looked as fascinating as ever, with her long skirt which she wore on the first day. Although they haven't known each other for long, [Name] considered her as a sort of big sister, as someone to admire, and Natsumi treated her with a special affection and respect in exchange, communicating with her exclusively in English.

Anna, on the other hand, had a more complex personality. At times she could be of a princess-like indifference and of an incredible stubbornness, though most of the times she was still quite considerate. She wasn't a bad girl per se, maybe she was just a little jealous of [Name] for how she could communicate so casually with everyone, albeit in a language they weren't used to. Anna was actually just less social than Ootani. And it was obvious how the orange-haired girl had a crush on Nosaka, even though the latter hardly ever noticed her, and responded to her attentions with a smile that didn't make the corner of his dull eyes wrinkle. And everyone knew that, although no one dared talking about it out loud for fear of getting on Anna's bad side.

On the contrary, it was needless to say how Ootani was the inevitable paparazzi of the group, albeit with a certain restraint, for which [Name] was thankful. It would be complicated if Ootani went around commenting about her favourite “ships” and “pairings”, but luckily that girl knew what was the definition of privacy, and the two girls went along surprisingly well.

And so the managers were sitting on the blue bench while they chatted and kept an eye on the boys. Beside them were the water bottles and the chocolate bars for whoever needed it. [Name] had also learnt how to treat different kinds of wounds and how to use the first-aid kit, although luckily she hasn't had to use it first-hand yet.

Endou, the regular goalkeeper, was stopping shoots from a goalpost while Nishikage and Saginuma used the other one while taking turns; Asuto was training his dribbling, dodging Kazemaru, Hiura and Tatsuya's slides; Haizaki insulted Kira every time his ball got stolen; Fudou was training by himself, but every now and then he would partake in quarrels between the God and the Devil; Nosaka and Ichihoshi were still discussing, while all the others were training their shoots.

Once the training session ended, the girls divided the various towels in order to hand them to each player. Every towel had an embroidery with a player's initials, and [Name] had Nishikage's one among the rest.

“Thanks.” Nishikage said once he received his towel, giving a hint of one of his imperceptible smiles which were difficult to catch if one wasn't paying enough attention.

“Y-You're welcome.” [Name] replied, peeking at Nishikage with the corner of her eyes while he wiped away his sweat from his face, hairline and neck. He was irresistibly sexy when he did that.

After handing him his water bottle as well, [Name] proceeded to hand out the rest to the other boys while she took a deep breath, trying to refrain herself from imagining inappropriate thoughts. Her cheeks must have been awfully red.

But the unexpected part was when, while the girls were making dinner, Ootani let out an “ah!” as if she just remembered something important. Both of her hands were immersed in the dense and sticky cookie dough, and her face adopted a desperate and pleading expression.

“[Nickname], I forgot my hairband, can you please fetch it for me?” she asked, as [Name] stopped peeling the carrot which would later go in the salad. “I think I've left it in the boys' bathroom. I must have put it somewhere near the sinks while I was cleaning the toilet.”

“Oh, don't worry, I'll go and find it right away.” [Name] said, sincerely hoping that nobody was in the boys' bathroom any more.

She didn't hear any noise upon entering so she let out a sigh of relief. As expected, Ootani's hairband was laying on top of a glass shelf in front of the mirrors, just above the sinks. After taking it, she suddenly heard one of the shower doors open. 

Nishikage walked out, with only a bath towel which covered his body from his pelvis downwards, with his chiselled chest and abs in full sight. He was drying off his wet hair with a white towel. It was the first time she ever saw him with his hair down, which arrived at his shoulders.

[Name] was petrified, she didn't know how to react.

Nishikage instead had on his usual poker face.

“I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to... I had to get something, I-I'll leave now...” the girl stuttered before running away from that place and then leaning on a wall in the girls' bathroom. She held the hairband on her chest, hyperventilating, with her cheeks blushing heavily and her heart beating wildly.

His body was almost as perfect as a Greek sculpture, with water droplets dripping down from his light brown hair to his well-defined pecs which reflected the artificial light. His cheeks were faintly red due to the hot vapour, making him even more alluring. Or maybe he simply wasn't expecting to stumble upon her in such a delicate situation...

Once she calmed down a bit, [Name] went to the kitchen to return Ootani's hair accessory.

“Is everything all right [Nickname]? You look a little troubled...”

“Oh, don't worry. Everything's fine...”

But [Name] couldn't stop repeating that scene in her head, and her cheeks were as red as the tomato she was now cutting.


End file.
